Playing with Fire
by marysunshine81
Summary: Everything starts at an L/G Christmas party, where Diane and Will kiss under the mistletoe. Warning: this is not a friendship fic, so read at your own risk, for real shippers only!
1. Chapter 1

****Warning: contains sexual suggestions!  
><strong>Disclaimer: I don't own anything**

**It was supposed to be a Christmas fic, but I screwed up and it has turned out quite smutty in the end, but I still decided to post it, I must be crazy.**

**Dedicated to all my fellow Diane/Will shippers! Merry Christmas!**

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><p><strong>Playing with fire<strong>

It wasn't the first Christmas party they held at the firm together, in fact this tradition had almost been a decade-long, still it was the first time that the two name partners of the firm accidentally met under the mistletoe.

It was him who decided to look up after bumping into her among the crowd. She was about to enter the room and he was about to leave, but both of them were held up for a moment as he refused to give her leeway after having seen what was hanging over their heads.

"You have to honor traditions," he said looking into her eyes and she lifted her gaze from him to the green plant, just to lower it again the next second, still hesitating. She shouldn't have been thinking, but despite the amount of eggnog she'd consumed she was still perfectly aware of the fact that kissing him wasn't really an option for her, not even under the mistletoe.

It had always been an unvoiced agreement between them that they had been taboos for each other. Their relationship had never crossed that certain line and they'd both known it had been in their firm's interest. But it hadn't always been that easy, there had been moments between them while working late at night or sharing a drink and many laughs, even the fights they'd had sometimes reminded her of the fact that her law firm partner was a very attractive man.

It would have been a lie to state she'd never fantasized of kissing him. She would have never actually acted upon this wish, but it had still been there in the back of her mind and this moment under the mistletoe could have been the perfect opportunity to do it without having to think of the consequences. Still she hesitated, firstly because they were surrounded by their coworkers and secondly because she still considered it a danger taking this step.

But he didn't give her more time to think, to come up with reasons why it was a bad idea to do it, he just decided to cut her thoughts off with a kiss.

_Sweet _was the first word that she could think of after their lips parted. The taste of his lips was sweet and for a moment she actually felt like wanting more, but she managed to stop her line of thoughts in time and resist the urge to make a fool of herself.

"Merry Christmas," she said instead, to turn the focus of the moment into a different direction.

"Merry Christmas," he replied with a smile and stepped aside to let her walk inside.

o-o-o

She'd always loved being the center of attention, but this night she felt as if she had been the centre of _his _attention as well, which was an unknown feeling for her. As she leaned back against the piano, waiting for the right moment to join in the song her eyes fell on him again and she noticed that his eyes were still resting on her. She almost missed the tune to step in, because for a short moment she forgot to take her eyes back from him. And it was the fault of that damn mistletoe.

She turned to Eli who was playing the piano and smiled at him as she sang along. There had to be a way to break the spell that kiss had put on her just a short while ago. Of course making out with the once aspiring concert pianist on her right was not among the options. There was no such amount of eggnog in the world. But still she decided to put up a charade and took a step in his direction just to end up sitting on his lap a minute later, crossing her bare legs to show them off. It was all part of the show of course and the audience was already laughing, except for _him_. She had to finally realize that she was actually playing with fire there.

o-o-o

"I thought you'd left already," he said stepping out of his office, almost frightening her on the half dark corridor.

"I forgot a file I need to read through during the holidays," she replied confidently, assuming that talking about work was the safe path to go on.

"Nice performance," he complimented her, obviously ignoring her attempt to stay professional.

"Nah, I just drank too much eggnog tonight," she chuckled, already regretting the friendly gesture the next moment when she felt his lips on hers again.

But the regret only lasted a few seconds when something else took over her mind, along with her whole body, the desire to ease this tension between them in the now only possible way.

"Your office or mine?" he asked, gasping for air and even though the word _office_ could have rung a bell in her head she just chose to ignore the fact that it was actually their workplace where they seemed to have forgotten about themselves and it was in fact already irreversible, there was no way back. But even in her current state of mind she realized what a mistake it could be to choose any of his options, there had to be some other solution.

Her gaze suddenly fell on the assistants' table in front of her and she didn't hesitate long before pushing him just a little. He turned his head backwards for a moment, understanding at once what she meant and pulled her with him in the direction of the table. He quickly swept off everything from their way and didn't hesitate long before he grabbed her by her waist and placed her on the desk.

"I have always wanted to do this," he said as he squatted and took off her high heels, just to place kisses on her legs starting from her feet. She had to find support on the side of the desk as his kisses continued their way up her thighs, between the cut of her skirt, while his hands were moving up and down her legs.

At a certain point she just moved one of her hands to his hair and dag into it, forcing him to look up to her and it didn't take long for his lips to find hers again. But his hands were unable to rest, they already found their way under her skirt and she couldn't help moaning feeling the touch of his warm hands close to that intimate body part. She folded her arms around him and lay back on the table, pulling him with her.

His hands grabbed her skirt and started pulling it up and she did nothing to stop him. He obviously only wanted one thing and she wanted to give it to him right there and then. Even though they were on the top of a table, at their workplace, one day before Christmas. She could have found it delusional had she actually given herself a chance to think, but she didn't. She just did what felt right at that moment, let him inside of her. And soon that certain ecstasy banished all her conscience.


	2. Chapter 2

**I'm not sure how you feel about this, but I actually made this story into a multichap over the holidays.**

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><p><strong>Chapter Two<strong>

She kept looking out of the window, forcing herself not to turn on her other side where he was sitting. He'd offered to call a taxi and take her home and she'd accepted but now she wished she hadn't. It was sensibly awkward sitting next to him after what had happened between them only a half an hour ago. And it bothered her most that she couldn't really blame it on the alcohol or label it as a mistake, because he wasn't just some man she'd met, he was Will. She'd loved him for several years, of course only as a friend, but tonight it had been proven that they were the perfect couple in all aspects, because the sex had been pretty amazing as well.

And that was the actual reason why she didn't dare to turn her attention to him, it could have resulted in her losing it again for the second time that night and that would really have been a mistake. She didn't regret that it had happened, but she knew they couldn't let this happen again, not if they wanted to keep their professional relationship. They had a business to run after all that required their full presence and such a distraction would only bring trouble.

Still she couldn't stop thinking about how it had felt to be touched by him, to be kissed by him, to be loved by him. Their lovemaking might had been a little rushed but she'd still felt valuable in his arms, it had definitely meant something to both of them.

As the car stopped in front of her house she had to look at him before she got out, because that was the polite thing to do.

"Good night, Will," she said softly, smiling a little, even though he probably didn't see that in the dark.

"Good night and Merry Christmas," he replied quickly.

"Merry Christmas," she added then opened the door and got out of the car.

Without looking back she walked up to her front door and got inside. She didn't want to look back, she didn't want to feel regret for letting him slip away from her just like that. It was the right thing to do and she knew that too well, still she couldn't help feeling something that was all too familiar to her: loneliness.

She kicked off her shoes, got rid of her coat and was about to enter her living room when she heard a knock on the door. She knew immediately that it could only be one person standing in front of that door at that moment and she wasn't sure she should open it for him. Letting him in could have only resulted in one thing and she knew she had to be the one putting an end to this and she had to do it now by not opening that door. She had always been stronger than him, more determined, more focused, she had to make this sacrifice now for the sake of them both, for the sake of their firm, for the sake of their future.

But she already hurt, because it really wasn't easy to always say no, to always be the smart one, to always do the right thing. She heard him knock once more and this time he even called her name. His voice was like a serenade in her ears and she had never been this tempted to do something that was against everything she'd considered her strength.

For a short moment it crossed her mind that he might only wanted to talk to her, to settle this complicated situation so they both could begin with a clean sheet again the next time they meet. And in fact she would have welcomed this solution she knew they needed to talk about it, but it just wasn't the right time, not when everything was still so fresh. She knew that they needed time to think, to get sober, to figure out how to go on from here.

The third knock was something she hadn't expected and when he called her name again she just couldn't resist anymore. She walked back to the door and opened it, looking at him with a questioning eye.

"May I come in, please?" he asked with an eye she knew all too well, it was Will Gardner's guilty look and she actually took it as a good sign that maybe her second thought had been the right one and he'd just followed her because he wanted to get this talk over with now.

"All right," she said stepping aside and as he walked inside she closed the door behind him.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

"Remember the last time I was here?" he asked as he looked around in her living room, "We were plotting that vicious plan against Bond that worked perfectly."

Of course she remembered, but the mention of those events and the word 'perfect' reminded her even more of that moment when they had been dancing in her office, feeling like the perfect couple and somehow she sensed that they'd managed to ruin that image tonight on the top of that table.

But instead of saying it out loud she only nodded and took a seat in one of the armchairs, motioning him to do the same. She didn't say a word, because she wanted him to talk first, to tell her why he was there at that late hour.

"I don't like us being awkward," he finally said and a smile appeared on her face hearing his honesty, she suddenly felt some calmness spreading through her.

"I don't like it either," she admitted and he smiled back at her.

"I know it was my fault, I shouldn't have kissed you under the mistletoe, but it happened and then I kissed you again, it was my fault," he repeated himself and she couldn't take it any longer.

"Stop it, will you? You know me. Have you ever seen me let someone do anything to me against my will?"

He smiled again hearing her confession. It was just as much her fault after all, she had been aware of playing with fire, she just hadn't counted with getting burnt. And the way he was smiling at her just added fuel to the flame.

"I regret nothing," he stated, looking into her eyes and even though she felt the same way, she couldn't bring herself to say it, instead she rushed to make something else clear.

"You know that it can't happen again, not if we want to still have a firm this time next year."

"Why do you always have to be such a killjoy?" he replied a little bitterly, but she saw in his eyes that he didn't mean it too seriously, it was obviously meant with love, it seemed like he kind of accepted that she was right.

"I'm doing a favor, for both of us," she said seriously and he closed his eyes for a few seconds, probably considering her statement.

"I know," his answer came, accompanied with a nod, "But…" he added and she turned uneasy at once, she wasn't ready to hear him disagree, come up with other options, she considered her solution the only right one.

"There's no but," she interfered, sounding firm, hoping this would make him shut up, forget what he'd planned to say, change his mind. She would have given anything if he'd just stood up, said good night and left, but he was still sitting there, looking at her and his gaze made her even more anxious.

"I should go then," he stood up, taking his eyes off her and looking at the ground he turned away from her, taking a step in the opposite direction.

And even though she'd wished for this to happen just a minute ago, suddenly a voice in her head started to scream that she shouldn't let him go like this, she should let him talk first, because she needed to hear his reasons as well. The unspoken words would only cause more awkwardness between them and that was the reason they'd started talking about it on the first place, to avoid that from happening again.

"Will, wait."

Her words sounded more like a cry, even though she tried to say them as calmly as possible, standing up from her seat and taking a step towards him. He turned hearing her voice and he must have seen something in her eyes, because the next moment he was already in front of her, just a few inches away. He waited to hear her out, he didn't touch her, nor did he say anything, but his eyes spoke for themselves. They showed a desire she couldn't miss and he couldn't deny. And however hard he made it for her, he still left the decision in her hands.

She could have reacted in many different ways, but there was only one way that felt right at that moment.

"Just one night," she proposed because she couldn't let him go like that.

This night had already been doomed, so they might as well accept this fact and make the most of it. He was there for a reason and it surely had nothing to do with listening to her lecture him about right and wrong. The way he looked at her, the closeness of his body to hers all proved that he in fact came for more and even though it didn't make sense she still wanted to give it to him.

"One night," he agreed and she slightly nodded, giving a silent go to his body, his lips his hands.

In a moment it was impossible to tell who was kissing who, where their hands disappeared and what would ever stop them again.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

She woke up with her face resting on his chest and as she opened her eyes and lifted her head to look at him she saw that his eyes were already open.

"Good morning," he greeted her and she presented him with a smile before moving her lips close to his to kiss him softly.

"Morning," she replied again, this time with words then lay back on her pillow eying the ceiling and stretched her arms.

He rolled on his left side close to her and without saying a word he just kept on looking at her. She adjusted the blanket on her a little nervously, to make sure it covers her enough and still standing his gaze she rolled on her right side facing him.

"What?" she asked half chuckling, still not understanding his silent gaze.

"I don't want this night to be over," he said and before she could react in any way his lips were already tasting hers and the blanket that had covered her just a minute ago made place to his body that demanded it's presence on hers. There was no way to stop him from making love to her again and she would have been a fool if she had even tried. He seemingly couldn't get enough of her and she couldn't get enough of him and under any other circumstances it would have bothered her, but in his arms she could only think of one thing, _him_.

o-o-o

"I want to stay," he stated decisively, breaking the silence as she was again resting her face on his chest, which she found a really comfortable place to be.

"I don't think that's a good idea," she replied, turning her head in his direction, leaning on her lower arms.

"But I _want to_ stay," he repeated, emphasizing the words in the middle of his sentence.

"Do you realize that we're about to ruin everything we've worked for in the last ten years?" she brought up the subject again, risking him calling her a killjoy once more, but she had to at least try to be the sensible one.

"I don't care," he said firmly and even though she appreciated his honesty she started to feel the pressure that she had to be the one pulling him back to the ground again.

"You would sacrifice everything you've worked for for a few hours of pleasure?" she exaggerated of course, it wasn't just a few hours of pleasure for her and she knew it meant more to him as well, but when it came to reason, she had to admit that this whole thing just didn't make sense.

"I hate it when you talk like that. Why does it always have to be one or the other? Why can't we have both?" he asked the question she'd asked herself many times, but her life had taught her that choosing was something necessary if she wanted to move forward and not backwards.

"Because mixing business with pleasure cannot result in anything good and you know that as well as I do."

She tried to convince him to believe her, but on the other hand she couldn't deny that she wanted him to stay as well, for one more hour, day, she had no idea. No matter how decisive she wanted to sound, she wasn't ready to let him go yet.

"But I don't want to think about it right now, all right? Why can't we forget about it only for a while and just once do what we _want_?"

She was startled to hear his words, it felt as if he had read her mind.

"Because we are adults," she tried one last time and her own words made her chuckle hearing her ridiculous reason.

"That we are," he agreed, moving towards her with his head and kissed her, "In fact staying in bed all day would be a very adult thing to do, don't you think?" he added kissing her again and again, making it impossible for her to reply anything.

Of course she didn't need much more convincing. Her body had already reacted before her mind gave it a go as well. And she soon lost her head in his arms again, indulging in their seemingly undying passion.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

"Damn," she said as she took a look at the clock on the nightstand a few hours later.

"What's wrong?" he asked with compassion, clearly not ready for anything to spoil their day, while she was about to do the very thing.

"I hate to say this, but I have to be at my aunt's Christmas Party two hours from now, which means I have to start getting ready or hell will break down tonight."

"That sounds like your aunt," Will chuckled, obviously not taking the situation seriously.

"Do you find it funny? Don't you have a family thing to attend as well?" she stroke back and his face showed at once that she scored a point right then.

"Touché, but my family thing is only tomorrow, plus your thing with your aunt sounds much more fun, so I offer my company."

"Are you out of your mind?" she couldn't believe her ears. The last thing she needed was her aunt finding out anything about what had happened in the last 24 hours.

"You know that your aunt likes me, so I'm sure she won't have a problem with me being there."

"Believe me, she wouldn't _like you_ that much if she knew anything about this, so why poking the bear?"

"Stop with the bear talk," he teased and she had to smile at the fact that he reminded her of one of their fights, as it was the most natural thing in the world that they ended like this only a few weeks later.

"It's not a good idea," she stated, looking at him with a smile this time, but he didn't seem to care.

"She doesn't have to suspect anything. I'm just going with you as your friend to make sure she doesn't set you up with some asshole again like last year," he insisted and sealed his words with a kiss.

She found it actually sweet how he seemed to remember what she'd told her a year ago and of course the last few hours had proven that she really wasn't ready to say no to him anytime soon.

"Fine," she finally gave in, "But if you so much as move closer to me in her presence…"

"I won't," he solemnly promised, but then moved closer to her again and added, "I will behave like a perfect gentleman if you promise to spend the night with me afterwards."

She had already established that it was impossible for her to say no to him that day, but she gave it a thought nevertheless.

"All right," she agreed in the end.

She couldn't say no, but she didn't really want to say no either. And even though she'd warned him not to make a move on her during their visit, she wasn't sure how she would be able to keep her own condition.

o-o-o

"How can you do this to me?" he asked as she opened the door for him about an hour later.

He'd gone home to change and came back to pick her up as they'd agreed.

"Do what?" she replied, not missing how his eyes were pacing her up and down, obviously admiring her look.

"Dress like this. Do you really plan to go to that party like this?"

"What's wrong with my outfit?" she teased him with her words now.

It's not like she'd put that red mini dress on without having though of what he'd say to it, but she really hadn't planned to trap him in any way. She was actually grateful for his company that night.

"You can't expect me to keep my hands off you when you look this gorgeous," he admitted and her lips curled up in a smile hearing his honest words.

"That is exactly what I expect from you," she replied, still in a teasing voice.

He reached out his hands, grabbed her by her waist, pulled her close to him then let go of her. He didn't hold her, so she could have easily moved back, but she didn't. Their lips were only a few inches away from each other and their bodies were so close that they could not only hear but feel the other breathing.

"The question is, will you be able to keep your hands off me," he teased as if he had read her mind and she couldn't hide her smile.

"Just keep the eggnog out of my sight," she chuckled.

"What time do we have to be there?" he asked, still not moving closer to her.

"A half an hour ago," she replied, looking into his eyes.

"Damn, I was hoping we could misbehave a little more before we enter the abstinent zone," he said playfully.

"Haven't we misbehaved enough already for one day?" she whispered.

"I can't get enough of you," he admitted, making her smile again.

"Only a few hours," she reassured him and pressed her lips against his for a quick but passionate kiss that left no doubt that it would be worth the wait.

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><p><strong>Note: I just want to say that I<strong>**'m really thankful for all the reviews and that you like this fic even though it's an unusual pairing. Thank you all for reading! ****I hope you'll enjoy the whole fic! It has 14 chapters and a short epilogue, so more to come soon! ;)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Note: It took me a while until I managed to create some family background for Diane (honestly, I'm not really good at this) In my head she has an aunt who is her late father's younger sister and she is also called Diane.  
><strong>

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><p><strong>Chapter Six<strong>

"You're late," her aunt greeted Diane in quite a rude manner, as she gave her a kiss, but she expected nothing less.

"I'm sorry," she had the apology at hand and tried to make up for the delay right away, "But I brought someone you might be happy to see."

"Will Gardner," the old lady's eyes kindled and she hugged the young man.

"Good evening and thank you for the invitation," Will said in his best manner and Diane had to concentrate hard not to chuckle hearing his last words.

"I didn't exactly invite you" the elder woman frowned, taking a quick look at Diane who tried to hide all her sentiments and look natural, "But as you can see I'm happy to see you here, so you are welcomed to stay."

"I'm honored," Will smiled back at her.

"So what are you two doing here together?" she addressed Diane again, "I told you to bring a date."

"And I have," she replied still seriously.

"Ha ha, very funny," her aunt said in disbelief, which reassured Diane that nothing had given them away yet, "I see you leave me no other choice again. Thank god I've invited some gentlemen who will surely be happy to keep you company."

"I have company," Diane tried again, just in case, even though she was sure she wouldn't be able to stop her aunt from doing what she'd planned.

"Nonsense. I'm sure Will has better things to do than stand by you all night, don't you, dear?" she asked and Diane turned her head towards him as well to see his reaction, but he didn't give anything away either, "There is a pretty lady somewhere around who came without a date. What do you say if I introduce you to each other?"

"I'm good, I came with Diane and…" Will tried, but of course he had no chance against the old matchmaker.

"Diane won't mind, will you, my dear?" she addressed her niece and Diane had to suppress her chuckle from bursting out as she replied.

"Why would I?"

"Come with me, my boy," the lady said before she turned around.

Will shared a helpless look with Diane who quickly moved closer to him to whisper into his ear, breaking their rule first herself.

"See you in the bathroom in twenty minutes."

o-o-o

Exactly twenty minutes later she stopped in front of the bathroom door, which was closed.

"It's occupied," she said as Will stepped next to her only a few seconds later.

"I really need to talk to you in private," he sounded exhausted and this made her smile.

"Come," she grabbed his arm, breaking their rule again for the second time that night, without even noticing it and guided him in the direction of the staircase. They quickly climbed up the stairs and entered the first door. As they got in, Diane turned the key in the lock behind them

"I thought we would never be alone again," he said, folding his arms around her waist so naturally.

"What happened to keeping your hands off me?" she teased, obviously not intending to hold him onto his word at that moment.

"Do you have any idea what I had to suffer during the last twenty minutes?" she would probably have felt sorry for him, hadn't they been in the same shoes.

"I'm sure it couldn't have been worse than what I've been through."

"We both deserve a reward," he stated, pulling her closer to him.

"Maybe we do," she pretended to hesitate, even though they clearly wanted the same thing.

"Maybe?" he tightened his grab on her waist.

"We definitely do," she finally agreed and let him kiss her.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

"Where have you been?"

Hearing her aunt's voice, Diane wasn't surprised that she caught her coming down the stairs. Even though she'd completely lost track of time she suspected that they'd been hidden for too long for her aunt not to notice. It was too late to realize this now, so she had to face the obviously angry lady.

"I just used the upstairs bathroom, since the one downstairs was occupied," she explained calmly, taking the last steps towards the other woman.

"Have you seen Will?" was her aunt's next question and Diane tried her best not to give herself away.

"No. Isn't he with…whoever it is you want to set him up with?"

"No, but don't you sound jealous?"

Diane was startled and for a moment she wanted to believe she was just joking, but she didn't seem to be in the mood for that. She had no idea what gave her away, she didn't mean to sound jealous, even if she felt that way.

"Why would I be jealous?" she tried to deny it as naturally as she could, but she saw in her eyes that it might have been too late, the suspicion was already there in her head.

"I don't know. You show up together then disappear at the same time. And look who's there."

Diane turned in the direction her aunt was facing and saw Will at the top of the staircase. They had been talking too long and he obviously didn't think of checking whether the coast was clear.

"Didn't you say you haven't seen him?" her aunt pointed the question at her head and even though she was aware that it might have been too late, she still tried to deny everything.

"I see him now," she decided to joke it off, but it didn't seem to affect the other woman.

"What is he doing upstairs? Was he using the bathroom as well?"

"I have no idea," Diane stated firmly and saw that Will was still hesitating at the top of the staircase as he set eyes on the two women talking at the bottom.

"I'm disappointed in you Diane, isn't he old enough to be your son?"

The old lady finally cast her verdict and Diane was startled to hear her words. She didn't expect her to like the idea she was suspecting, but this statement was way over the line and it suddenly made her angry.

"Look who's talking," she fought back at once, raising her voice a little, "Exactly how old is your current husband?"

"That's none of your business," she seemed rather offended by her remark, but Diane didn't care anymore.

"And this is none of your business," she replied, in a lower voice this time and looked into her eyes.

"You can't talk to me like that," her aunt responded, looking angrily at her.

"And I don't have to listen to you," she said and turned away to make her way towards the exit.

She didn't even look at Will again, she had no idea if he was still standing where he had before, if he had seen or heard anything from their fight, but she didn't care. She just wanted to leave that place at once.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

"What about a drink?" he asked, handing her a glass with their favorite Scotch, even before she replied.

He had a reason to believe she wouldn't say no to this offer after their conversation on their way home from her aunt's house. He'd seen them fight and he'd wanted to know what it'd been about, but she'd refused to share the details with him. Maybe he thought a drink would help her open up a little and even though she intended not to tell him anything she was grateful for his attentiveness.

"You read my mind," she said smiling as she took the glass from him and he seated himself next to her on the couch.

She took a sip from her drink and after looking into her glass for a short while she lifted her gaze to his direction.

"Where are we heading?"

He looked at her as well, obviously considering his reply. She felt like asking this question now. The fight with her aunt had made her realize that this thing with Will obviously meant more to her than it should have. She had indeed been jealous of the other woman, even though she had no idea who she had been and the statement about their age difference had hurt her more than she would ever admit. Especially because that had never occurred to her, she hadn't given a thought to how old he actually was, because it simply didn't matter. They had been friends for too long, she knew him well and that was all that counted. But their friendship had taken an unexpected turn in the last 24 hours and she really wanted to hear his thoughts on the matter.

"I have no idea," he finally said and his honesty made her smile, "Do we really have to know?"

"Perhaps. I mean it was supposed to be one night and it's already the second. What about tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow you can accompany me to the Gardner Christmas Luncheon," he replied in a teasing manner and she wished he'd have taken her seriously, but still she couldn't help smiling at his remark.

"I think I will pass on that," she replied still smiling.

"All right, then I should probably ask someone else to come with me," he continued with the teasing and she still couldn't be angry with him for ignoring the seriousness of her question, because he obviously tried to get her out of the bad mood and he actually succeeded.

"Don't you dare!" she joined in and he obviously liked her reaction.

"Are you jealous?" he asked, still playfully and she had to chuckle at the fact that she was accused of that again for the second time that night.

"Maybe I am," she said mystically, taking another sip from her drink.

"You have no reason to be jealous, I'm a faithful person," he replied and she suspected that he wasn't teasing her anymore, he actually meant this seriously.

"You'd better be," she replied, focusing on the glass in her hand, intentionally avoiding his look.

"Does this mean that you and I?" he asked after a long pause and she still didn't dare to look into his eyes.

"You and I what?" she wasn't ready to say it herself, she wanted to hear it from him first.

"Are you ready to give us a real chance?"

She still wasn't sure, but she figured it was the only way to go on from here. This wasn't just a one time, one night thing between them, they'd arrived here after a long journey, after years of friendship. And he wanted to be with her, he encouraged it and didn't seem to be afraid of the consequences, which kind of gave her strength as well. It was ironic how in this matter he was the stronger one and attracted her to go with him, to do it his way. She wanted to believe that together they would be able to work this out.

"Maybe," she finally replied, looking into his eyes, "Let's see how tonight goes first," she added smiling.

He shouldn't have doubted that it was a straight yes, because that night couldn't have gone wrong in any possible way.

* * *

><p><strong>Note: I'd like to thank you again for the reviews, it makes me happy to read all your reactions! I hope you'll all keep reading! :)<strong>


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine**

"You really should go now," she tried to persuade him again and even though she'd said it a couple of times already during the last half an hour, he still wouldn't listen.

They were enjoying their morning coffees together in her kitchen and it just felt so cosy sitting there close to each other, sharing their thoughts, sharing smiles, sharing kisses. They both knew this was probably their last calm hour for a long time and neither of them really wanted it to be over, but at least she tried. Shortly they were about to enter reality, after spending a few days living in their own world, in her house, spending each night in each other's arms.

That morning their duties called again and even though she'd tried to prepare herself for this, it still felt hard to face it. She wouldn't admit it, but she actually feared what that day would bring, the first day they would have to put this very fragile relationship to the test. In an hour they had to show up at their firm again, where they were supposed to be nothing more but business partners, who shouldn't allow themselves to be guided by their passion and their personal feelings for each other.

Last night they'd talked about the necessity of finding the balance between their professional and personal relationship, but she wasn't sure it would be so easy to do so. They'd agreed to keep their affair in secret for the sake of their firm, but she had doubts as to how long their sort of double life could go on before one would have to suffer from the other. Especially because it was no question which one they would choose had they been forced to do so. She liked having him in her life and she wouldn't have traded those last few days for anything, but she had never placed a man before her firm and she probably never would.

Of course choosing the firm also meant choosing him in a different sense and as she looked into his eyes, she started to wonder that maybe her previous decisions to stick to her firm had in any way been influenced by the unvoiced wish that she hadn't wanted to part from him either. Sticking to her firm, her life's work, their life's work had always meant staying together with him and they had always been so good together.

"I have to face a whole day without your kisses, I need something to hold on to," he replied, literally sweeping her off her feet again as he pulled her closer for another kiss.

"Go," she ordered after their lips parted, "I'll see you in an hour," she placed a short kiss on his lips and pulled away from him.

"I already miss you," he replied, leaning towards her for a last kiss, before he finally obeyed her command.

o-o-o

The seat next to her was still empty as she started talking about the second agenda already, with dozens of eyes focusing on her. The first staff meeting of the year, the start of something new and Will Gardner was late. She probably should have waited for him to arrive, but she didn't feel like making an exception, punctuality was a virtue she believed in and she was actually a little angry at him for letting her down right at the start.

But her anger only lasted until he finally entered the door. She even forgot her line of thoughts for a while as she locked eyes with him, until he arrived on her side and took the empty seat next to her.

And right then he made the second mistake, he actually leaned towards her ear to whisper something to her. She needed all her self control not to give away how this normal, but intimate gesture affected her. He basically told her about the business related thing that had held him from coming earlier and she nodded in response before communicating his apology towards the coworkers in the room then tried to find back to her original line of thoughts.

A few minutes later she gave him the opportunity to take over and as he started to speak she took her pen and scribbled down a line on her pad.

_We have to talk._


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten**

"This is going to be harder then I thought," she said as she closed the door of her office, while he took a seat on her couch.

"You tell me? Have you looked into the mirror today?" he asked, his eyes obviously resting on her skirt, which made her realize she was wearing a similar skirt she had only a few days before when they had been unable to control themselves on the other side of that glass door.

The memory made her look at the desk that was already in order again, with her assistant sitting on the chair behind it. She had to forcefully tear herself away from those thoughts, so she walked up to her table and sat down in her chair. She also tried her best to forget that he might have been watching her every move.

"You cannot always blame it on me, I've dressed like this my whole life and you never seemed to have a problem with it."

"Don't think I never noticed. I have to admit that sometimes I thought of you as a sister, just to avoid getting excited about your looks."

"As long as you don't say mother," she presented him with a smile, because she really appreciated this choice of word.

"I haven't fallen on my head," he reassured her once more and his smile almost made her forget what she had wanted to tell him. For a moment she was actually thankful for the distance between her desk and the couch, between him and her.

"But you really can't blame this on the length of my skirt," she picked up their previous topic after a short pause when she was finally able to regain control over her own thoughts.

"Sure I can, that brought us into this trouble on the first place," he stated playfully and his tone made her smile.

"So now I'm trouble? I think you've just lost your pillow for the night," she threatened him in a teasing manner and he seemed to like it.

"I can always use your pillow," he suggested, leaving no doubt that he was confident.

"If I let you into my bed at all," she replied and pretended not to pay attention to his words anymore, looking at the paper in front of her.

"Sure you will, Weren't you the one ordering me here just because you couldn't survive a meeting with me on your side?"

It was actually scary how he managed to read her mind and she decided to at least try and clear herself in this matter.

"I ordered you here because you were late from the meeting and I just wanted to tell you not to do that again," she said facing him, trying to sound serious, "You can go now."

"You are throwing me out?" he tried to sound outraged and she had to admit to herself that this conversation was just too much fun.

"Yes," she nodded and lowered her gaze to the piece of paper on her desk.

"But don't expect me to beg to be let in again."

"I won't," she replied with a half smile on her lips, which she tried to hide from him.

"Fine."

"Fine."

"See you on the backyard in an hour?" she lifted her gaze again and he was standing in the doorway facing her with a little smile in the corner of his lips.

She took a few seconds to consider his offer before she replied.

"I'll be there."

o-o-o

"Where are you going, Mr. Gardner?" she asked as she stepped next to him in front of the elevators.

"I have a secret meeting on the backyard" he whispered, leaning closer to her in the middle of the sentence and she made a mental note to tell him that he really should stop doing it in the future.

"During the workday? How unprofessional of you!"

"If you say so," he smiled then moved to her ear again, "You are free to punish me in any way you see fit."

"I will think of something," she replied with a smile as she stepped inside the elevator before him.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven**

"Are you ready to leave?" he appeared in the doorway of her office later that evening.

"Not yet, give me five minutes," she said quickly, looking at him shortly then got back to her notes.

"That's a lot, this day's been so long even with our _short _secret meeting," she heard his voice again and she rolled her eyes as she lifted her gaze to his face once more.

"Why don't you just leave and I'll see you later? I thought we would try to avoid being seen come and go together," she reminded him of their deal and turned her attention to her brief again.

"Damn, I knew I have forgotten something. What about one tiny kiss to make this wait more bearable?"

She couldn't believe her ears and even her subsequent eye roll couldn't properly express her feelings.

"Here in my office? No way!" she stated simply, without even as much as touching her glasses, indicating that she didn't give any thought to his words at all.

"We can always pull down the blinds," he offered and his statement actually caused her some amusement.

"Maybe your office is a place you use for such purposes, but mine isn't. Nothing will happen between us _here_, I assure you," she meant what she said, she really had no intention to break more taboos that day.

"I wouldn't be so sure," he challenged her with the tone of his voice and she heard him close the door behind him.

"What are you doing?" she asked, seeing that he started to pull down the blinds on the glass windows.

"It's none of anyone's business what you do in the privacy of your office," he proposed the obvious and even though she knew that probably no one was around anymore and no one would dare to enter her office without knocking first when the blinds were down, she still had no intention of obeying his wishes. Not there, not that day.

"But I just want to finish work and go home, don't you want to go home as well?" she made an offer she thought to be a negotiable one, but he didn't seem to be tempted to accept.

"Too late, you are not going anywhere," he replied, finishing up with the blinds and started walking towards her.

"So you cannot really behave after all?" she asked, taking her glasses off, seeing that there wasn't anything more she could try to change his mind.

"You started this whole thing this morning, I'm just finishing it," he said as he stepped close to her and pulled her up from her seat.

"Don't you dare blame it on me again!" she threatened him playfully and her words made him chuckle.

"But it's your fault!" he declared and leaned forward to kiss her.

o-o-o

"We really need to try harder to behave in the office. We pretty much screwed up on the first day, _twice_," she said later that night when they were both lying in her bed in each other's arms.

"I know. I promise I will try harder tomorrow, I won't even so much as look at you," he solemnly promised.

"You should definitely refrain from whispering to my ear," she whispered to him and he smiled.

"I will try," he replied moving his lips close to her ear then to her lips that already longed for his again.

There was no use denying that his lips near her ear turned her on, it was one of the most dangerous things he could do to her, it was only less dangerous at that moment when he could actually give her what she longed for right away and that was basically the fifth time that day.

o-o-o

"It would look odd if we started to avoid each other completely," she got back to their previous topic after a while, because she was still unable to fall to sleep, the next day still bothered her too much.

"But do you have a better idea, because basically we are not able to stay long in the same room together without wanting more," he summed up their current relationship quite properly.

"Let's try to go out of each other's way then, unless it's really necessary to meet. No fake or secret meetings, just work," she suggested, without thinking of how hard it would actually be to make this happen.

"All right, but I already miss you," he said, placing a kiss on her shoulder.

"I'm right here and I will be here this time tomorrow as well," she promised and after a last kiss on his lips she finally ventured to fall asleep.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve**

"I need to discuss it with Will," she said to the man on the other end of the line before saying goodbye.

As she put down the phone her eyes were already on her business partner in the office on the other side of the corridor. She hadn't spoken to him since the morning when they had parted again in her house like the day before. Then her gaze fell on the box on the side of her desk. She took a piece of paper and wrote a few words on it, before throwing it into the box that was already containing several similar pieces of paper.

Maybe it was not a very smart plan, but she decided to survive the day like this, making notes on things she would need to discuss with Will later, postponing to meet him as long as possible. And in fact he hadn't suggested a meeting himself either in any way, even though he'd passed by her office a few times when she had been sitting there, he hadn't even so much as look at her all day, like he had promised and she hadn't really thought he would be able to keep that. Both of them were trying hard, maybe even too hard to keep their personal relationship out of the workplace that day.

o-o-o

It was already quite late, but Will was still in his office, she was watching him from her seat again. She checked her watch and decided that it was time to call it a day. She started organizing her things on the table, putting some files into her briefcase, but her eyes got back to him from time to time. Finally her gaze fell on the box with the notes again and she decided that it was time to put an end to this ridiculous game. She took the box into her hands and headed to his office.

The smile on his face as she entered made up for the hours that they had spent apart.

"What's that?" he asked, meaning the box in her hand.

"Some things we should talk about once we get the chance," she said, stepping close to his desk and taking a seat, placing the box in front of her on the table.

"We can do it now," he suggested and she thought that might be the best solution. She had considered taking the box home and discussing the content with him there, but it didn't seem like such a wise idea to take work home, not yet.

o-o-o

An hour later she not only saw how wise she'd been not to take the box home with her, but she wasn't even sure she wanted to take him home with her anymore. Their discussion turned into an argument after the third note and they hadn't been able to stop ever since. He seemed to have a completely different opinion on everything and even though she had been used to fighting with him in the past, that night, after what they had been through together in the last days, it just felt so wrong.

"Looks like we really need a third partner," she stated calmly after placing the last note back to the box.

"Just because we don't agree on everything, it doesn't mean we need a referee."

"But you basically disagree on everything I proposed tonight," she claimed and she tried her best not to sound too hurt. It was nothing new after all, fighting had always been a part of their relationship.

"Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to do this now, why don't we start over again tomorrow?"

"You want to fight with me again tomorrow?" she said in a slightly teasing manner to ease the tension.

"Fight? We just had a few arguments, let's not exaggerate," he smiled at her and she knew right away that everything was fine between them.

"All right, I guess I'll see you tonight?" she asked as she stood up from her seat.

"Diane?"

"Yes?"

"I guess I just love fighting with you," he replied, instead of answering her question, but she didn't mind. She appreciated his confession.

"You do?"

"As long as it's nothing serious and these are only small matters, I'm sure we can come up with a solution to each of them if we try a little harder. But today's been a challenge on its own, we really should call it a day."

She nodded and smiled at him, "Nine o'clock?"

"I'll be there."


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter Thirteen**

She looked up as she heard the knock on her door and Will was standing in front of her office for the first time in two days. They had agreed that the notes in the box hadn't been the best solution so they would try to get back to a normal work relationship and he was clearly about to make the first attempt.

"Do you have a moment, Diane?" he asked and she looked at David, who was sitting opposite her before looking back at the man in her doorway.

"David and I are discussing a case, can it wait?" she proposed, trying to act naturally, so that the other man didn't suspect anything.

"Actually, it's rather urgent, but it will only take a few minutes."

David was still facing her and he didn't show any interest in why Will was there. Diane looked from one man to the other, trying to decide what to do. She wasn't even sure what Will expected from her, if he wished to come in or wanted her to send David out or simply go to him. She wasn't exactly comfortable talking to him in other people's presence, even if the third person seemed rather uninterested.

"Surely you don't expect me to leave," David finally broke the silence and she was actually grateful for his interference.

"No, I just…" Will started and took a step inside the office, which made Diane stand up from her seat, but she still wasn't sure if she should move closer to him or stay where she was and her hesitation started to catch David's eye.

"Make it quick," David said and took out his phone from his pocket.

Diane stepped away from her desk to get closer to Will and she couldn't miss his astonishment when he realized what she was wearing that day. It was intentional on her side of course to choose a pant suit that morning, she had no desire to take the blame anymore, just because he was unable to control himself around her legs.

She reached him and waited for his reaction, but he was just staring at her and didn't say a word. She looked at David again, who seemed to be too occupied at that moment to mind what was going on a few steps away from him.

"Perhaps we should…" she started as she turned back towards Will.

"Don't you have something to discuss?" she heard David's voice again, who was apparently still keeping an eye on them and surely couldn't understand why they were standing there almost speechless.

"Let's go to my office," Will finally proposed and she took a step towards the door right away, but since Will also moved in that exact second they literally bumped into each other.

"Sorry," Will apologized and her first reaction was to look back at David again, who was now openly watching them.

She decided that the best she could do was leave her office right away and don't look back again.

o-o-o

"Is he still watching us?" she asked as Will sat down at his desk in front of her.

"No, why would he? I'm sure he has better things to do."

"Do you think we gave ourselves away?"

"No, you are paranoid," he said smiling.

"Wow, thank you, you haven't told me this for such a long time, I truly missed it," she replied rather bitterly, due to the memory that line brought up at once, even though he said it in a completely different manner this time.

"I'm sorry," he reached out his hand towards hers that was lying on the desk, but she quickly pulled it back, not because she was angry at him for what he'd said, but because she was still not sure if anyone was watching them.

"Why is it so hard to go back to normal?" she asked.

"Maybe because you intentionally hide your legs from me," he teased, even though her question had been rather serious. But he was probably right that he changed the tone of the conversation, it really wasn't the right time to analyze things.

"And you still manage to blame me, I'm amazed," she replied, smiling, "Now tell me about that urgent matter."


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter Fourteen**

"Good morning," she entered his office first thing the next day, with her coat still on.

Getting back to normal had to mean greeting each other in the morning, even though they had only parted an hour or two earlier. His first reaction was to look at her legs and this naturally made her laugh.

"Yes, I'm wearing skirts again," she underlined the gesture and he couldn't hide his smile.

"Good morning," he replied and she kept on smiling as she walked over to her own office.

She was hoping that this day would finally bring the normality back to their lives, they just shouldn't try too hard and give it time.

o-o-o

"Nice cross," he returned her gesture from the morning later that day, stepping by her office obviously without any particular reason.

They'd spent the last hour on a deposition and she appreciated his acclamation very much.

"Thanks," she replied and took off her glasses as he stepped inside, clearly showing that she was ready to concentrate on him while he was there.

"I'd say we are doing fine, aren't we?" he asked, taking a seat in one of the armchairs at her desk.

"We are," she agreed, smiling at him.

"How long do we have to pretend?" he suddenly came out with the question she wasn't prepared to hear from him there and then.

"I thought we agreed that it's better to keep it secret, for the firm's sake."

"I know, but I've thought about it and it would actually do more good than harm. Hiding something requires effort, pretending is hard, the last days have clearly showed this."

"But we've just gotten the hang of it, today's the beginning, we can do this."

"Just think of how much easier it would be if we didn't have to pretend at all."

"Because everyone would talk about us behind our backs?" she replied without taking the time to think as he'd suggested, she didn't consider his suggestion at all.

"They talk about us behind our backs no matter what. Why don't we just clear the air?"

He seemed very serious about this, so she waited a little before answering him again, she wanted to show him that she at least took him seriously, but she couldn't come up with any other reply.

"I'd rather not."

He sighed and stood up from his seat, clearly not happy with the answer he'd got.

"Sometimes it's really hard to understand you," he said and without waiting for a reaction he just turned around and walked out of her office.

o-o-o

"I'm sorry," she said right after she closed the door of his office that evening.

It took her a few hours to take this step, but she truly meant the apology. She didn't like that he'd ignored her for the rest of the day, just because she hadn't explained her point of view properly, but she tried to understand his side as well.

"We just really have to be sure that this is something we want to make public," she explained as she walked towards his desk,"I mean what if we split up in a few days?"

"Do you want to split up?"

"No," she replied quickly, leaving no doubts about her intentions, "I just think we should be careful not to jeopardize what we have, neither the firm, nor us."

"I don't want to harm the firm and I most certainly don't want to hurt you. I just love being with you and I want everyone to know that we belong together. And I think we do the firm a better service if we spare us from the worries that this hiding requires."

She had to admit to herself that his argument sounded reasonable, not to mention that she very much liked the way he talked about their relationship. She hadn't counted with him being so mature about this whole thing, he actually surprised her. As much as she loved his boyish side, this new side of him was even more appealing.

"Let me think about it," she said finally and he obviously appreciated that she didn't say no again right away.

"I'm saving my most convincing arguments for later tonight," he added playfully and she chuckled as she left his office for the last time that day.

**Epilogue**

As the doors of the elevator opened for them the next morning she stepped outside first and waited for him to arrive on her side before taking the following step forward. They walked on the corridor together, right next to each other, saying hello to the coworkers who crossed their way until they reached the space between their offices.

Their assistants greeted them as usual and they didn't seem surprised that the two name partners arrived together that morning.

As to what their reaction was when Diane Lockhart and Will Gardner parted with a kiss from each other right in front of their eyes the next moment, the couple never got to know, because both of them just turned to the direction of their own office with a smile on their face and entered without looking back, to start a new day.

THE END

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><p><strong>Thank you for reading and especially for the reviews! :)<strong>


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